Gruden tried to hire Dennis Allen

In that ESPN podcast, former Raiders coach Jon Gruden gave new Raiders coach Dennis Allen a thumbs-up.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Gruden said, “but I think they have the right man for the job.”

Gruden said he tried to hire Allen in 2003 and 2004, when Gruden was coaching the Tampa Buccaneers and Allen was a defensive assistant. But the Falcons denied Gruden permission to interview Allen.

“I was very close with Emmitt Thomas, who is a Hall of Fame secondary man with the Chiefs, who was with Dennis in Atlanta,” Gruden told the Oakland Tribune on Saturday in Napa. “Emmitt Thomas recommended Dennis highly. I just couldn’t get the Falcons to release him to me. So I’ve known Dennis for a long time. I spent a lot of time the last few years at the Saints training camp, watched him coach. John Fox is a very good friend of mine in Denver and everybody tells you the same thing about Dennis Allen — he’s sharp, he’s a leader, he’s going to do a good job.”

Allen makes his head-coaching debut tonight against the Cowboys. Gruden won his preseason debut in 1998, beating the Cowboys 16-3.